Translated Jeff Matthews
Years ago as I was passing along the stretch of coastline that runs from Formia to Gaeta and staring at the Aurunci mountains, I told myself I would some day scale the height...

Translated Jeff Matthews
Every time I've gone up to Campo Braca for our caving excursions in the grotto of that name, I've admired the summit of Mt. Miletto (2050 m/6150 feet); like a great father, i...

Translated Jeff Matthews
We knew that this long weekend would be memorable, but we didn't expect the last day to give us such a surprise. Well, in Earthly Paradise miracles are the order of the day.
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Translated Jeff Matthews
The Calore River starts at the peaks of Mt. Cervati, passes part of the Alburni massif and then flows into the Sele river just before the Sele empties into the Tyrrhenian Sea...

Translated Jeff Matthews
Conca della Campania is a small town of around 1300 persons in the Province of Caserta in the Campania region, about 40 km (25 mi) northwest of Caserta. As is often the case ...

Translated by Jeff Matthews
Recently--maybe because we're just getting more adventurous or because we're getting crazier and crazier--we've been going on outings with no particular goal in mind. We s...

Translated by Jeff Matthews
It was 7.34 on the evening of November 23, 1980, when, with a sinister rumble, the dragon awoke and shook from its spine centuries of stone and people. It took but 90 seco...

The Summer Solstice, the Book of Light, and the Original Hot SeatMonday, 19 June 2017 by Jeff Matthews For some wonderful reason, the astronomical beginning of summer, the summer solstice, is called Mid-Summer in English. There are reasons for this, but I don't know what they are except perhaps that ritualizing the day on which there is the greatest amount of sunlight and building stone monuments for your rituals was all invented by people who thought the sun moved around the earth. You are free to believe in the more recent alternative fact that the movement of the sun is only apparent and that the earth moves around the sun, and that the extra daylight is... Read more... Read More...

The Devil's Footprints on the slopes of the Roccamonfina VolcanoWednesday, 24 May 2017 Translated Jeff Matthews With the Roccamonfina Regional Park - near the mouth of the Garigliano river in the province of Caserta in the vicinity of the Roccamonfina volcano, itself, there is a paleontology site called "The Devil's Footprints". The site is made up of a rocky surface on an incline about 100 meters long with an elevation difference of about 30 meters. It formed from the cooling of a pyroclastic flow from an eruption that happened between 385,000 and 325,000 years ago. Foot impressions are visible of individuals of the Homo heidelbergensis species. These hominids were moving through the area shortly after a volcanic eruption, leaving their prints in sediment that was still relatively hot and doughy. The unique thing about this site is the certainty that these prints are the oldest traces of the genus Homo in the world. The site may be visited thanks to members of the Footprints Association that organizes guided tours. Contact info for the Association: Facebook page - Associazione-Ormeemail – norma_mazzoccoli@libero.ittel. - 3313020113 - 3929364536 GPS trace of the route There is additional information in English on Roccamonfina & The Devil's Footprints on the website of Nalpes: Life, Death & Miracleshttp://www.naplesldm.com/roccamon.php Ckick on images to enlarge Paleontological surface of the "Devil's Footprints" Archaeologist Norma Mazzoccoli following the homonid fossil tracks Crosses carved near the source in the Middle Ages Read More...

Coal mine explosion in IranSaturday, 06 May 2017 Translated Jeff Matthews According to latest reports from various quarters, rescue efforts are underway in the wake of an explosion that killed at least 35 miners at the Zemestanyurt coal mine in northern Iran on Wednesday morning. This report is from Reuters: www.reuters.com Read More...

The angevin fortress (Maschio Angioino) opens its basements: a new archeological tour, “TIME LINE”Monday, 17 April 2017 Translated Jeff Matthews THE ANGEVIN FORTRESS (MASCHIO ANGIOINO) OPENS ITS BASEMENTS: A NEW ARCHEOLOGICAL TOUR, “TIME LINE” As of Saturday, 15 April a new guided archeological tour is open to the public, under the auspices of the Timeline Napoli Association as part of the project “The Grail at the Maschio Angioino.” Their press release: Naples, 10 April 2017. A new guided archeological tour is open to the public at the New Castle [trans. note: the structure has two names in Italian—Maschio Angioino and Castelnuovo; that is, Angevin Fortress and New Castle]. Beginning Saturday, 15 April, and every weekend thereafter, visitors will be taken down into the underground chambers of the Angevin Fortress for a journey that starts with the vestiges of ancient Rome. Visitors will pass along the area directly below the halls of the Aragonese armory and then into the Renaissance Naples of Alphonse I, so-called “The Magnanimous, and of his son and heir, Ferrante of Aragon. The new tour is part of “The Grail at the Angevin Fortress” and is presented by the Timeline Napoli Association, which hopes to let visitors come into contact with this important part of the archeological heritage of the city of Naples and to enjoy the thrill of a hands-on experience—to physically touch history. It is a museum within a museum, displaying the first plant of this structure built at the behest of Charles I of Anjou beginning in 1279. The leitmotiv of the tour is, indeed, a trip through time; thus, the name of the association and tour, Timeline, a chance to watch the unrolling of one century after another in the same area. The “Timeline” Tour Beneath the armory, you'll be able to admire not only archeological remains but one of the best preserved geological sites in the city, made up of pyroclastic deposits from the eruptions of Vesuvius as well as those from the Flegrean Fields. You'll be able to exit to the faussebraye, the defensive wall outside the main walls, of the Beverello tower. The outside wall was introduced by the Aragonese and was an attempt to confront newer offensive weapons such as more precise artillery. The newer defensive measures incorporated a succession of loop-holes for archers, effectively doubling the defenses as they were also supported by the garrison positioned in the higher tower, itself, as well as by flanking fire from light artillery at the base of the tower. Finally, you'll climb to the terrace to look down on the construction site of Piazza Municipio. It was here, during construction for Line #1 of the Metropolitana underground train line that they found—at 13 meters below the current pedestrian surface—an entire section of the Greco-Roman port basin together with five now celebrated naval vessels, the wooden planking of which was extraordinarily well preserved. You can participate in this guided tour as well as others of the program The Grail at Maschio Angioino every Saturday (departures on the hour from 0930 to 1700) and Sunday (on the hour from 0930 to 1230). Book via telephone: 3317451461 or on the Timeline Napoli Facebook page. The cost for the tour is 10 euros or two tickets for 15 euros with the second ticket covering one of the other Grail tours. Entrance for children is reduced or even free, depending on age. Other theme tours at the Maschio Angioino: The Grail between history and mystery” is a product of IVI Itinerari Video Interattivi which guides participants along esoteric path from the Triumphal Arch to the Hall of Barons. Book by phone at 3483976244. The veiled secret” is the latest IVI video visit, replete with OLED (organic light-emitting diode) lenses, ideal for bringing to life the story of Lubrezia d'Alagno, Alfonso of Aragon's favorite lady. Booking only by phone at 3273239843. The Flight of King Charles” is the adventure-filled tale, told here by HK Avventure, of the legendary retreat from Naples of King Charles VIII of France. Includes a safe descent (led by a trained speleologist) into the escape well cut into volcanic rock. Book by phone at 3317451461 or on the Facebook page of HK Avventura. The fortress of time” is a tour from Timeline Napoli from the slopes of the fortress up and into an ancient gunport, where the defensive strategies of the Aragonese epoch will be explained, and then onto the ancient prisons. Book by phone at 3317451461. The Dragon's Secret” and the hunt for historic treasure (aimed at children aged 6-9) at the court of Alphonse I of Aragon. Discover with maps and other accessories the true story of the king, the head of the Aragonese branch of Naples, and of the secrets connected to him. Book by phone at 3317451461. Read More...

The underground passageways of Neapolis, beyond the ancient walls – the Ipogea of St. Vincent de' PaoliSaturday, 15 April 2017 Translated Jeff Matthews The hypogea of St. Vincent are in the quarter of the Vergini, an ancient area just outside the walls of ancient Neapolis. You gain access to the Monument Complex of St. Vincent by way of a tufa quarry that goes back to when the church, itself, was under construction; that is, around the 1760s by Luigi Vanvitelli. During the excavations for that construction, they came across a cistern from a yet earlier period, before the arrival of the fathers of the order of St. Vincent and when another order was present on approximately the same site, the Fratres Cruciferi (Cross bearing Brethren), an order abolished in 1656. It is very likely that this ancient cistern goes back even further than that, given all the digging that has taken place in that area over the centuries. Current thought is that it was a Greco-Roman cistern. The Fathers of St. Vincent have just begun a series of investigations of the site. They have delegated the task of finding out exactly what is down there to the Getta Association. They are certainly in for some surprises and interesting discoveries. Together with the many other rediscovered sites in the area of the Vergini such as the Augustan Serino Aqueduct and the burial chambers selected by the ancient Parthenopeans and Neapolitans to continue on their way into the afterlife in their splendid burial hypogea, it all makes for a fascinating tour! The short video with this item has only a music background, so you can follow right along with no problems. For information and contacts:Associazione "Getta la rete"associazione@gettalarete.itFacebook page: facebook.com/associazionegettalarete3476065947 – 3383448981 (both cell phones) Read More...

Jewish Catacombs in the Roman Crypt at Cuma?Monday, 27 March 2017 Translated Jeff Matthews “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.” (Genesis, 23:11) “Before the age of Demo [>ed. note, the Cumaean Sibyl] there lived near the Jews above Palestine a woman with the gift of prophecy, and her name was Sabbe. The say that her father was Beroso and her mother, Erimante; some however, called her the Babylonian Sibyl and others called her Egizia” (Pausanias, X, XII, 9). [trans. ed. note: refers to Pausanias, AD 110 – c. 180, Greek geographer, author of Hellados Periegesis, Description of Greece]. Archaeologist Amedeo Maiuri's dream was to uncover the famous chamber of the Cumaean Sibyl, the dreadful chamber within which the prophetess made her divine pronouncements. It was Maiuri's dream but also his obsession; the chamber was a twisted labyrinth where one would inevitably go astray. It was sure to exist, however. That much was certain from all the references in ancient literature; yet in spite of all the indications, finding the exact spot was not easy. Where could it be? Maiuri had no doubts; the chamber had to open onto Monte di Cuma. He finally received from Fascist minister Pietro Fedele “the first substantial funding to start searching for the Grotto of the Cumaean Sibyl... Read more... Jewish Catacombs in the Roman Crypt at Cuma? Click on the images to enlarge photo 1 di G. De Rossi photo 2 di F. De Marinis photo 3 di F. De Marinis (parete est cava) photo 4 di F. De Marinis (parete ovest cava) photo 5 di F. De Marinis (dettaglio parete est) photo 6 di F. De Marinis (dettaglio parete ovest) Read More...

Speleo 2017 17th International Congress of Speleology (ICS)Sunday, 12 March 2017 Translated Jeff Matthews The new eBulletin for Speleo 2017, 17th International Congress of Speleology (ICS), Caves in an ancient Land, to be held in Sydney, July 23-29, 2017, is now available on-line. This is the link for the PDF download: Speleo 2017 eBulletin 12 February 2017 This is the link to the official website: 17th International Congress of Speleology (17th ICS) Read More...

Milano Underground - the new website dedicated to Underground Milan is now onlineThursday, 09 March 2017 by Jeff Matthews S.C.A.M. (Speleological Artificial Cavities of Milan) is pleased to announce that it has now put on-line a new website dedicated to Underground Milan. It is at this URL. www.milanounderground.it. The object of the website is to present virtual guided tours of the vast number of underground spaces, both ancient and recent, and thus combine the history and archaeology of the Lombard capital. [translator's note: I have looked at the site and there are already ample photos and videos that you can enjoy even if you don't speak or read Italian. Their promotional claim is to make the site enjoyable to tourists from abroad as well as to an Italian public. Presumably, in terms of other languages, that will happen with time. - jm] contacts: www.milanounderground.it Gianluca Padovan - padovan_g@yahoo.it Ippolito Edmondo Ferrario - maestrale1976@hotmail.com https://www.facebook.com/milanosotto https://www.instagram.com/milano_underground/ Read More...

Visit inside Billinghurst Cave, a large underwater sea cave along the coast of Malta that has very little natural light thanks to a dip in the middle.

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